Countdown
by Hellen says what's up
Summary: AU. What if things had gone the way Light had planned? What if Mello had never kidnapped Takada? After Light kills the rest of the task force and the SPK members, Mello finds himself vulnerable…until he meets a strange young orphan girl without a name who claims to be the daughter of Raye Penber and Naomi Misora. Together, Mello, Matt and the orphan girl begin their hunt for Kira.


Countdown

**AU. What if things had gone the way Light had planned? What if Mello had never kidnapped Takada? After Light kills the rest of the task force and the SPK members, Mello finds himself vulnerable…until he meets a strange young orphan girl without a name who claims to be the daughter of Raye Penber and Naomi Misora. Together, Mello, Matt and the orphan girl begin their hunt for Kira.**

**Umm, I don't know where I'm going with this…but let's roll with it XD**

* * *

"Well Near, looks like I win. I'm disappointed in you. L, he would have considered two Note Books…but you. You completely let it slip your mind. I should have known you'd be no match for Ryuzaki. It's been fun…but Kira always wins." Light stared down at Near's motionless body, collapsed on his side like a fallen ragdoll, his eyes closed, as though he were finally asleep. Light was surrounded by a sea of lying corpses. The SPK members…the task force…all gone. "You've done well Mikami."

"Anything for you, God." He bowed his head to the man, pure admiration in his eyes.

"And as for Mello, we'll find him sooner or later. He's hardly a threat now, with him being the only one left." Light laughed his haunted chuckle, "I can see it now. The new world…"

"What do you plan to do now, God?"

"It's simple really. I'll appear as L on national TV. I'll say that Kira murdered all of the members of the SPK and task force…which I did. L will then say, since it seems practically impossible to catch Kira at this rate, I hereby declare that I shall no longer oppose Kira. That will bring the Kira investigation to a close. Since no one will ever suspect that Light Yagami is or ever was L, I'll appear as though I had nothing to do with it." Light smiled, "Well Ryuk, looks like you'll have to stick around for a little while longer."

"…_humans are so much fun!"_

* * *

About two months later…

_Nate River, 1994 – 2013_

_Here lies the man who died for what he believed in_

_Quillsh Wammy, 1936 – 2007_

_Here lies a caring father to the orphans of Wammy's house and a loyal friend to those who deserved it_

Mello stared hopelessly at the white marble slates that stood proudly from the earth in the ground. The sun was setting and the orange light stung his eyes…but he couldn't look away. He knew there was a place for him next to Near…just waiting for him. "Well Nate…you just had to get yourself killed, didn't you?" Mello sniggered bitterly. "I thought you were supposed to be number one Nate…how could you let this happen? How could you be so stupid…I guess this makes _me _the best now…but what's the use? No matter what I do, I'll never be able to compete against Kira…Nate…you have to help me…I can't do this alone…"

"You're not alone." Mello turned to see Matt standing there, his hands shoved in his pockets and a cigar hanging from his lips. He had a slight grin on his face that Mello did not return.

"Why are you here?" Mello hissed.

"I'm here because you're here." Matt said simply.

Mello rolled his eyes. "Matt, you need to go home. Now."

"I live with you, dipshit." Matt smirked again.

"No, I mean, you need to go _home_. I'm not going after Kira…not anymore….which means you're free to go. I don't need you here anymore."

"Seriously? Where do you expect me to-"

"Go back to Wammy's, I don't care. But you can't stay here. It's not safe anymore." Mello snapped. Matt frowned and glared at Mello through his goggles.

"So, you're just giving up? If you give up, Kira wins! Near's gone! I thought you wanted to be L's successor!" Mello stared down at his enemies tomb stone…he should be happy that he's dead…why wasn't he happy? "You know Mello…you're looking pretty pathetic from where I'm standing. If I'm no longer useful to you then fine, I'll go…you can sulk here by yourself…" Mello closed his eyes as Matt turned and walked away.

"I'm sorry…for everything." He said, still not looking up.

Matt didn't turn back as he said, "Don't sweat it Mello. You'll come through. I know you will. I know you'll see this to the end…even if it kills us both."

* * *

_Two days later…_

Matt stared up at the big screen that hung from the sealing in the centre of the airport. He watched curiously as the giant letter 'L' flashed onto the screen. Mello had already told him the 'the real L' had died back in 2007. This L was an apparent replacement (or as Mello had described it, 'a fake L').

_**Greetings to all viewers from around the world. I am L. I am here to talk about an unfortunate event that occurred on January 28**__**th**__** of this year.**_

_He must be referring to Near's death _Matt thought to himself.

_**On this day, all the men and women I was working on with the Kira case suddenly collapsed from a series of heart-attacks. The only reason I'm still alive is because no one, not even Kira, knows my real name or face. Since it seems as though I am fighting this battle alone, I have decided that the odds are against me. I therefore have decided to no longer oppose Kira.**_

Matt's eyes widened in shock. What was 'L' doing? Why was he calling off the investigation? Something was very wrong here…

* * *

"It's not that fun when you have no one to play against." Light sighed, tapping his pencil against the edge of his desk.

"_What do you mean?" _Ryuk questioned. Taking a bite out of a juicy red apple.

"I mean I've always had competition…but with Near and L both dead, there's nothing to stop me…which is good I guess…it just takes the excitement out of the game…I'm kind of hoping Mello does something soon. It's getting a little boring, just sitting around."

"_Perhaps he truly has given up on finding Kira."_

"That's possible…but unlikely. Remember that time my father almost killed Mello? Well, judging by the audio, and the way Mello had set things up…he seems like a guy who'd rather die than lose…and giving up on this case would mean that he's lost." Light hummed, "But, I'm not worried. He's nothing compared to Near or L. He takes too many drastic actions and hardly ever thinks of the consequences. I'll catch him soon enough."

* * *

Mello woke up the next day to find his head spinning from drinking a little too much vodka the night before. "Damn it…" he cursed under his breath as he sat up in bed. Nothing felt right these days. How did his life come to this? Wake up, drink coffee, eat chocolate, go out, come back, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. That was his life now…he hated every moment of it.

As Mello walked in through his corridor, he noticed a small letter that had been sealed up and slid under his apartment door. It was in a small pink envelope with the words, 'Justice' printed on the front. Mello raised an eyebrow and picked it up.

He slowly began to open the letter and pulled out a typed up note. It read:

_Dear Mello,_

_My name is S. I can't risk telling you my real name until I know that Kira is dead…which he isn't. To be honest, I was quite surprised to see that you haven't taken any action in trying to find him…that's why I'm writing to you._

_How do I know you, and how did I locate you? It was easy. I know Roger Ruvie. He was close to my mother, Naomi Misora. She had worked under L before and had grown close to Roger. He told me about you and what your real name is (since, he knew for sure that I wasn't Kira.) After finding out who you were, it didn't take long to track you down._

_The reason I was looking for you is because I want to stop Kira. Why? Because he murdered my parents. My father, Raye Penber was an FBI investigator who was murdered while in Japan, searching for Kira. It's not revenge…it's justice. Kira is killing those who have done no wrong simply so he can't be stopped. For this reason, I am willing to risk my life to bring him behind bars._

_It appears that you are the only one left who is still searching for Kira, so I wish to join you. You can trust me. If I were Kira, I would have killed you by now._

_If you still wish to work with me, send a letter to 12 Farman Road, Croftwood N47SP. I hope to hear from you soon._

_With all needed respect,_

_S_

**TBC**


End file.
